BBC Radio Northampton
BBC Radio Northampton is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Northamptonshire. It broadcasts from its studios in Broadcasting House, Abington Street, Northampton (a listed building) on 104.2FM (Northampton) and 103.6FM (Geddington, betweenKettering and Corby) The station also has studios in Daventry and Corby.[1] The Managing Editor is Jess Rudkin, who moved from BBC Somerset in May 2012 to replace Laura Moss, who joined the station in 2003 and is now Managing Editor at BBC Three Counties Radio. Contents http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Radio_Northampton# hide *1 Opening *2 Transmitters *3 DAB Licence *4 Social Media *5 Sports coverage *6 Branding *7 Programming **7.1 Weekdays **7.2 Saturday **7.3 Sunday *8 Reporters *9 Past presenters *10 References *11 External links **11.1 Audio clips Openinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=BBC_Radio_Northampton&action=edit&section=1 edit The station was launched at 6:45am on 16 June 1982 on 1107 AM and 96.6 FM, with Jon Beynon's programme Start the Day, the first piece of music being John Williams's''Superman'' theme, followed by Work that Body by Diana Ross. The first outside broadcast followed on 17 June 1982, and the official opening was performed by the Duke of Gloucester. The station was renamed BBC Northampton in 1990, but then changed to BBC Radio Northampton on 3 April 2000. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Broadcasting_House,_Northampton.jpgBroadcasting House in Abington Street,Northampton Transmittershttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=BBC_Radio_Northampton&action=edit&section=2 edit The station has two FM transmitters, with 104.2 FM broadcast from the Boughton Green Road area of Northampton, and 103.6 FM broadcast from a mast near the village of Geddington. Listeners can tune into 104.2 in the south and west of the county (including Northampton and surrounding area), whereas 103.6 serves the north and east (including Kettering and Corby). Along the M1, the station can be heard on 104.2 FM from Milton Keynes to Copt Oak (near Leicester). There is no longer a MWfrequency, but the station went digital on DAB in March 2013. Radio Northampton was originally available on 1107 kHz MW across the County from a transmitter at Kings Heath; this was reallocated to Virgin Radio using 1233 kHz. For the north-east of the county nearOundle, the Peterborough transmitter has Radio Cambridgeshire on DAB from a NOW Digital multiplex. The Northampton transmitter also has the Global Radio-owned regional commercial station Heart FM on 96.6FM, and has national radio frequencies. The transmitter at Daventry on Borough Hill has BBC National DAB, Digital One 11D and an MXR West Midlands 12A multiplex (since August 2001). This transmitter was the BBC's first Long wave transmitter, beginning 27 July 1925. It had not been previously used by the BBC since 1978. DAB Licencehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=BBC_Radio_Northampton&action=edit&section=3 edit On 11 October 2007, the DAB licence was awarded to NOW Digital. MuxCo had also bid for the licence. NOW Digital expected to start broadcasting from the three transmitters at Northampton, Geddington and Daventry in September 2008, however transmissions eventually began on 28 March 2013 on DAB channel 10C. The line-up is identical to that of the neighbouring Herts, Beds and Bucks multiplex, consisting of local Northamptonshire Stations (BBC Radio Northampton: countywide, Connect FM: Wellingborough, Kettering, Corby) and national stations (Capital, Gold and Heart: Northants, Bucks, MK, Beds and Herts regional service), along with stations aimed at the Herts, Beds and Bucks area (BBC Three Counties Radio and MKFM). Social Mediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=BBC_Radio_Northampton&action=edit&section=4 edit BBC Radio Northampton is on Twitter, using @BBCNorthampton, and on Facebook via facebook.com/BBCNorthampton. Sports coveragehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=BBC_Radio_Northampton&action=edit&section=5 edit BBC Radio Northampton has extensive sports output edited by Graham McKechnie, assisted by Jon Wilkinson. Football commentators include Wilkinson, Tim Oglethorpe and Terry Angus for Northampton Town, Chris Barrett who covers Brackley and Chuck Middleton at Corby. McKechnie commentates on Northampton Saints rugby with Lennie Newman, Ian Hunter and James Knight. Northants Steelbacks cricket commentators include McKechnie, Andrew Radd, Chris Egerton, Legside Lizzy and Mal Loye. When not on FM every match is covered on the website. The sports team is supplemented by News Editor Laura Cook who has a particular interest in motor sport, horse racing and rugby union. The weekend preview programme, Friday Night Sport, airs between 6.00-7.00 on Friday evening. Brandinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=BBC_Radio_Northampton&action=edit&section=6 edit As of Monday 25 July 2011, BBC Radio Northampton now use the generic BBC Local Radio jingles by Mcasso Music Production. On 21 October 2013 these jingles were refreshed. Programminghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=BBC_Radio_Northampton&action=edit&section=7 edit Weekdayshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=BBC_Radio_Northampton&action=edit&section=8 edit | style="width:560px;vertical-align:top;"| Sundayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=BBC_Radio_Northampton&action=edit&section=10 edit |} Reportershttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=BBC_Radio_Northampton&action=edit&section=11 edit Producers: *Ian Brown (Breakfast) *Sarah Stratten (Mid Morning) *Sarah-Jane Bushill (Lunch) *Jordan Kellar (Afternoon) *Sam Read (Drive) *Helen Popham (Weekend) Past presentershttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=BBC_Radio_Northampton&action=edit&section=12 edit *Jim Hawkins - former presenter of the weekday Talk Show until 2000, now with BBC Radio Shropshire. *Liz Kershaw - former breakfast show presenter; 2002: a presenter on BBC 6 Music; 2005-2010: former presenter on BBC Coventry & Warwickshire. *Anna Murby Former presenter who started out making the tea and stayed for 15 years, finished a two year stint at 6-8am weekdays but left 29 August 2008 after spending two years getting up at 4.15am .[2] Returns once a year for the Youth in Concert programme. *Richard Oliff - former presenter of the daily lunch consumer show 2001-2005 now presents the Drive Show for *HFM - 1500 to 1900 *Steve Riches - former breakfast show presenter, also presented BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's breakfast programme *Howard Stableford - went on to present the BBC television series Tomorrow's World *Martin Stanford - presented Sky News's Sky News Today *David Saint - former presenter of 'Saint on Sunday' and the weekday afternoon programme. *John Beynon - the first voice heard on Radio Northampton. *Mervyn Gamage - presented the lunchtime discussion programme, joined Moorlands Radio. *Steve Taschini - now Television Coaching and Development Editor at BBC College of Journalism *Aled Jones - weekend presenter who moved on to Songs of Praise/Daybreak *Peter Purves - the Blue Peter presenter joined the weekend line-up *Simeon Courtie - moved on to children's TV and British Forces Broadcasting Service *Joe Pignatiello - took on training role within BBC *Matthew Price - moved to BBC Radio Jersey *Mike Sewell - sports producer who joined BBC Radio Five Live Category:BBC Radio Stations Category:BBC Local Radio Category:BBC East